A New Hope
by XoAwakeAndAliveoX
Summary: Arielle Lily Potter, younger sister of Harry, is emotionally worn out from all she's been through with her brother, and now suffers with possible PTSD. Lost and praying for a new start, she moves to New York to escape herself, and hopefully forget the events of her school years. Instead of finding peace, she gets mixed up in the lives of the Avengers.
1. Prolouge

You know, out of all the possible plants, the dandelion has to be my favorite. Why? When most people look at them, they see a weed. They see an unneeded and unwanted burden. Others see a future wish. A hope. Me? I see the truth that others look past. I see wounds. I see _me._

Look at me; I'm such a mess. It's been three years since the battle of Hogwarts, and I still can't bring myself to forget any of it. Not a single detail. I don't want it. I don't want these memories. I was only a child. It wasn't fair. Not at all. Not to me, not to Cedric, or Fred. Certainly not to Remus, Tonks, and their son, Teddy. None of them should've died. It wasn't their battle, it was mine. It was Harry's.

They had nothing to do with it. Because of us, Teddy is going to grow up never knowing his parents, just like Harry and I had. It's not fair. And George... he lost his brother because of us. His _twin._ And Cedric... I can't even think about him much anymore. He didn't deserve to die; he was only seventeen at the time.

Life... it's just cruel. It leaves wounds.

That's why I love dandelions. They're the truth about life. Sometimes, you can see where the wind has blown away some of the fuzz of the dandelion. It is left damaged, broken, and battered, just like us. Just like many of the students of Hogwarts. Like Harry. Like Hermione. Hell, even Ron.

After the battle three years ago, Hogwarts was rebuilt. I became a bit of a recluse, often locking myself in my room and not coming out unless it was necessary Most people went their separate ways. Harry, my older brother (by a year), is now working as an auror for the Ministry, along with Ron. Hermione is now very high up in the Ministry, working in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. If I'm thinking correctly, Neville Longbottom is studying under Professor Sprout, and will eventually take over her place as the Herbology teacher.

Me? I left. I didn't see much else to do. I would've become a healer or potions master after the war was over, but something kept me from it. A feeling that I just wouldn't be able to accomplish those goals. And so, I moved. Not just out of the Wizarding World, but out of the country. In fact, I just settled into my apartment in New York. It's small, but comfortable I suppose.

Obviously, I'm going to be keeping in contact with Ron, Hermione, and Harry. If I didn't, they'd probably drag me back to England themselves... and then I'd get an earful - especially from Hermione and Harry.

"Harry, I'll be fine. I just... need a fresh start, and I feel like I can't do that properly in a place where everyone and their grandmother knows my name." I remember telling my brother, "Besides, things are alright now. Voldemort is gone and-"

"-And death eaters are still out there. I'll bet they could be plotting our deaths at this very moment." Harry sighed. "You know they're not happy about Vo-"

"Harry!" I yelled, beginning to get annoyed. "The remaining death eaters are cowards! They wouldn't do anything; not for a long time. You should know that!"

"Fine." He glared at the ground. "If you want to get yourself killed, then do so. At least keep your wand with you at all times.'

"Deal." 

* * *

Hello! Thanks for reading! I'd appreciate it if you'd leave a small review telling me what you think. It'd be awesome! I'd appreciate it! Constructive criticism is much appreciated!


	2. Chapter 1

First off, I just want to explain something to you all.

I don't have _just_ nightmares. No.

I have my _memories._ And they're just as bad. Especially when mixed in with my subconscious.

_They normally start out normal - happy. I see Cedric Diggory. We run toward each other in that stereotypical romance movie slow run. Just as we make it to each other, and I am about to leap into his arms (again stereotypical, I know), the scene changes. Cedric changes. He's no longer warm; he's cold. He's no longer alive; he's... he's dead._

_We're no longer in the Hufflepuff (yes, I was a loyal Hufflepuff) common room, but in the cemetery on the night Voldemort returned. Voldemort is laughing vilely, dueling Harry. I'm hiding behind a rock, blocking curses and trying to help Harry, while also being sure that nothing damages Cedric's... his body. I'm filled with fear and have no idea what to do. I hold back tears, and pray to any gods that may exist to save my brother's life._

_Suddenly, Voldemort shoots the killing curse at Harry, but something happens. Their wands - it's almost like they connected. Harry sent the disarming spell to voldemort, and the spells collided, forming a long flashing rope of greed and red. Something begins to exit Voldemort's wand, and it doesn't take me long to realize that it was Cedric. Cedric fully fell out of the wand and stood in in between Harry and I. He flashed me a sad smile._

_"Take my body." He told me. "Take my body back to my parents. And... don't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault, just like it wasn't Harry's. I- we'll-" He gestured to the other ghostly figures surrounding Harry. I quickly understood who they were; they were my parents! They were there! I can't believe- "-We'll hold him off."_

_"When I count to three, Harry, Ari, you've got to run." I heard the male (which I recognized to be my father) say to Harry._

_A stray tear escaped my eye, and rolled down my cheek. "D-Dad... M-Mum." I whimpered. "Please don't go! C-Cedric..."_

_The other two turned to look at me and smiled sadly. "We won't be able to spare you much time, but we'll do what we can. James-" Mum turned to the male and nodded her head as if to tell him to begin counting._

_"One," He said. Harry turned his head to look toward me, and I returned the favor._

_"Two,"_

_Harry changed his gaze to the TriWizard cup._

_"Three!"_

_Harry began to run to me while pointing his wand at the Triwizard cup. "Accio!" He yelled out and almost immediately, the scene changed once more._

_This time, Cedric was not there. The scenery, the people... the sounds. I knew them well. They're the ones I can never forget, no matter how hard I try. It was the battle of Hogwarts._

_I stand alongside Ron and Hermione protectively, watching silently as the Death eaters gather in the courtyard (was it the courtyard? or the bridge? I don't know. Tell me if I've gotten it wrong, please). In the distance, a group of people dressed in all black began to walk toward us all. In the front, two death eaters held on to Hagrid, using ropes. Behind him, Voldemort followed, a sickening grin on his face._

_Hagrid looked - well - terrible. Granted, we had all been fighting and dodging curses left and right, so I'd imagine we didn't look all different. However, it was the body in his arms that caught my attention. I gasped in shock, and I covered my mouth with my hand to keep from crying out. I step closer and make my way to the front of the crowd to get a better look._

_"Is- Is that Harry?" I heard the whispers. "It's got to be some other poor bloke - Harry can't be..."_

_My eyes never left Hagrid, or more specifically, the lump in his arms. My heart begins to race, my mouth feeling dry. My breathing quickens at the idea that my brother was dead. He couldn't be._

_Voldemort flashed me a cruel smile as he pushes past the half-giant._

_"Harry Potter... is dead." He announced, gesturing toward Hagrid._

_My eyes widened in terror and I had to fight to hold in the tears. Voldemort - he... he killed him. No... He couldn't have! Harry is the strongest man I know, aside from Dumbledore. He's... He's much too stubborn to die, right? He can't be... he can't be dead. I won't accept it. I don't. I didn't._

_Almost immediately, Ginny and I bolted forward, both screaming for my brother. Tears began to freely flow down my cheeks, as I gave up holding them back. A couple death eaters reacted by raising their wands and pointing them at us, but we didn't care._

_"No!" I yelled through my tears. "He- he's not-"_

_Before Ginny and I got too close to Voldemort and his followers, I was grabbed from behind by George, while Ginny was grabbed by her father. I struggled against the redhead, trying with all my might to get to my brother. I had to know for sure - I didn't believe Voldemort, and no matter what, I never would. He can't be dead. He- he promised me._

_"Stop it!" George whispered frantically in my ear, desperate to pull me back to safety._

_Finally, after a couple of seconds of fighting, I allowed myself to be pulled safely back into the crowd. George pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around me protectively. I could feel the eyes of many on me, but I didn't care. I just- I couldn't... I couldn't lose him. I'd lost so much already... why did he have to die too? _

Suddenly, a loud booming fills my ears, causing me to sit up quickly. Once I wake and realize that it was just a nightmare again, I slowly bring my hands up to cover my face. I wipe my eyes and take a deep, shaky breath. Why can't I just forget, already? Couldn't... couldn't someone just wipe my memories of those days? Why do I have to suffer these nightmares so often? It's not fair; not at all.

I look over toward my window to see Aba (pronounced: Aye-ba), my owl, sitting on his perch with a letter in his beak. I sigh and stand up, before strolling over to the window and opening it. Aba flies inside, dropping the letter on my bed on his way in. It's from Harry. Surprise, surprise. I'll probably get a lot of these, to be honest.

"Ma'am?" The booming sounds continue, and it takes me a moment to process that someone is at my door. He sounds, well, frantic. Or panicked. One of them, anyway. "Is everything okay in there!? I heard screaming."

I grab my wand off the nightstand and hid it behind my back before quickly make my way to the door and pull it open, only to be met with beautiful, bright blue eyes. I smile apologetically.

"S-Sorry," I say. "I just had a bloody nightmare (-literally, I might add-). D-Did I wake you?"

The blond shakes his head and smiles. "No, I've been awake for a few hours." He pauses. "Must've been one hell of a nightmare to cause that reaction. Night terror, maybe?"

I shake my head, slowly putting my wand in the back pocket of my pajama pants. "No, I-I don't think so." I yawn and stretch out a bit. "But you've got no idea." I sigh.

"Do you want to talk about it? I mean, I'm free right now if you need any-"

"No!" I interrupted, but soon felt bad for being so brash. "I-I mean, I'd rather not talk about it. To be honest, I just want to forget it. Sorry, mate."

The man nodded. "Right, that's understandable, ma'am. I'm Steve. Steve Rogers. And you are...?" He asked, holding his hand out.

I smile and shake his hand. "O-Oh! Bloody hell, where are my manors! I'm Arielle Potter. I'm new here."

"Pretty name." He complimented, causing a small, faint blush appear on my cheeks. I shake it away sheepishly.

"Same to you- I-I mean, not pretty but I mean it's a nice name. U-Um."

Steve laughs. "It's fine." He says.

"I-I'm sorry if this sounds like it came from out of nowhere but... do we know each other? Your name sounds very familiar." I raise an eyebrow curiously. "Have we met before? Or maybe I've read the name 'Rogers' somewhere? Who knows."

Steve tenses slightly, but I don't notice it much. He chuckles. "I don't believe so, Ma'am. But, I have to go. I've got a work meeting later; if you need any help with anything, my apartment is right across the hall, okay? Just shout, I'm home most of the time anyway."

I smile and nod gratefully. "Alright, I may just take you up on that offer later! But for now, though, I have to reply to my brother's letter. If I don't soon, I'm pretty sure he'll ap- I mean fly across the ocean and personally drag me back."

The man seems a bit confused at the mention of a letter, but I assume it's because most people use phones (which I have yet to get). He shrugs it off. "Alright. Bye, Miss Potter."

I lean against the door frame/wall and smile. "Goodbye, Mr. Rogers."

Slowly, Steve backs away from the door and turns around. He walks down the hall, and once he turns around the corner, I close the door and sigh. I can't believe I screamed loud enough to where he could hear it; I need to put some charms on my door to help make my room soundproof. But, I can do that later. For now, I should probably get to Harry's letter.

Walking over to my bed, I place my wand gently on the table and pick up the small, folded letter.

"_Arielle, _

_I decided (more like was forced by Hermione) to give you a couple of days to settle in, instead of sending you an owl immediately. How are things going? Is New York as interesting as you always thought it was? I've heard that it can be a fairly busy place; possibly as busy as London, or Diagon Alley, if not more._

_Before you ask, things back here are fine. Hermione got a promotion, which she wanted me to tell you about. Ron is still Ron, while I'm just Harry. Still. Haha! Anyway, much hasn't changed. Well, other than the fact that it is outrageously quiet at home since you've left. I don't care much for the quiet._

_Teddy misses you, and demands that you floo or apparate over once a month, on the day of the full moon. He absolutely loves when you accompany him when he changes, though he's not difficult to handle with that yet. He is only three years old, after all. _

_I think Ron is planning on proposing to Hermione soon, as in sometime in the next month or two. He's trying to be secretive, which doesn't normally work out well. But you know that already. Therefore, if you get a howler or patronus from Hermione, I have to ask that you ignore them for the time being, or at least don't tell her anything about it. Don't even hint at it!_

_I may be visiting soon, by the way, to check on you. After all, I can't just abandon those 'big brother duties', as you like to call them, just because you've moved overseas, now can I? Take care of yourself, and make some friends! I know you can. You did it when we were younger, so I'm sure that you can do it now. _

_Sincerely, _

_Harry."_

I roll my eyes at Harry's comment about visiting, and then got out a piece of parchment and a pen. I took a seat and began to type my reply.

_"Harry,_

_Things are fine. New York is much different than life back in Godric's Hollow, but I'll live. And you did get that part right; it certainly is busy! You know how some people call it the city that never sleeps? Well, it's not an exaggeration. It's definitely going to take some getting used to, but that's fine. It'll happen eventually._

_Tell Hermione that I'm happy for her! Actually, wait, no. I'll do that myself; I might make some Treckle tarts and send them to her as a reward! I'm sorry that you don't like the quiet. Want me to send a howler or patronus message once in a while? Maybe that'd help. Or not. Oh well!_

_Tell Teddy that I will try to visit every full moon if I can! He's such an adorable boy. I wish Tonks and Remus could seem him now; I think they'd be proud. He's going to be a wonderful wizard._

_It's about time that Ron sucked it up and proposed! It's only been, what, three? Four years? I mean, geez. And don't worry. If I get a howler from Hermione, I know to run and hide. It'll be shrugged off, don't worry._

_I haven't been gone for three days and you're already wanting to come visit me. Well, at least you care. Lord knows what would've happened to us if you didn't. Oh well, whatever. I can't wait to show you around. I love it here. It's not too big, but it's not small, either. It's just... it's perfect. I wouldn't trade it for anything._

_Can't wait to see you,_

_Arielle"_

I folded the letter and put Harry's name on the front. I brought it over to Aba, and he hooted before taking it into his beak.

"Take this to Harry, please. I'm sorry you have to go so far, but I can't rely on magic 24/7 now that I'm living in a muggle-inhabited building, alright?"

If aba could, I'm pretty sure that he would be rolling his eyes at me right now. In any case, he nuzzled my hand for a moment before making his way toward the window and taking off to deliver the letter. I sigh. Today I actually need to go out and explore; that sounds fun.

Not. 


	3. Chapter 2

Lost? Me? No, never. Not even in New York City. Haha… ha.

Okay, yeah. So maybe I _was_ lost. What's it to you? I may have been a witch, but it's not like I could use magic in this situation. Why did I think that moving to a muggle-filled city would be good for me? I'm not exactly the most outgoing person out there. I'm the kind of person that would do anything to avoid people I don't know… not talk to them.

I sighed and took out my small map of New York once more. I found the name of the street on the sign and scanned the map for it. I've already seen the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and Times Square. I had passed by Central Park, but decided that I'd rather not go there yet… maybe when Harry visited. To be honest, I would like to get back to my apartment and make tea or something.

"Ugh," I mutter softly to myself, "I wish I'd actually paid attention to the street my apartment was on… this is such a pain."

Walking down the street and silently trying to avoid bumping into the other pedestrians, I noticed that I had passed by a very tall, unique looking building. I glanced up at the name, which was written on the side in bright blue letters: _Stark_.

Stark. Why did that sound so familiar? Stark, Stark, Stark. I'd heard it somewhere. But where?

"Need some help, Miss Potter?"

I jumped in surprise, nearly pulling my wand out of my boot. Oh man, I really needed to start calming down. I couldn't keep trying to pull out my wand at every small movement, abrupt or not. Being jumpy like that isn't going to help anything. And even though I understood that, I still couldn't help myself from scanning the street and sidewalk, the windows of building, and even the sky above.

However, once I turned around and saw that the source of the voice was _not_ an escaped Death Eater, I slowly began to relax. It was only Steve Rogers.

"Steve?" I breathed in relief. "What are you doing here?"

He paused, as if searching his mind for an answer. "Well, I had a meeting for work. Er, what are you doing here?"

"Exploring." I blurted immediately. "You know, since I'm new here and everything. Figured I might as well try to get out and see some sights, you know?"

Steve eyed the map in my hands, making me grin sheepishly and attempt to hide it behind my back. "You lost?" He asked after a couple moments of the awkward silence. "It's getting pretty late out."

I looked down, trying to hide the now bright pink tint of my cheeks. "W-well… I may or may not have gotten lost… which may or may not have led to me forgetting the name of the street our apartments are on… and I may have held the map upside down a couple times…"

"Oh," He chucked, "Well, I'm heading home myself. Want to walk together? It's not far from here."

"Y-You don't have to. I mean it'd be nice but you r-really don't ha-"

"Alright. Let's go then." He flashed me a quick smile, and began to lead me down the street.

Long story short, I'd discovered (very quickly, at that) that it was going to take me a while to get used to everything. I'm used to a small town, not this overwhelmingly large city. Until then, though, I was going to have to be a lot more cautious and actually pay attention to signs.

When you took away the fact that New York was huge, I rather liked it. I mean, some of the people were nice, the sights were breathtaking (especially the city at night), at I had made a pretty great friend. My apartment, though small, was comfortable and gave off this homey feel just like the Burrow. Well, not as much as the Burrow. As much as I loved it here, the Burrow was more of a home than here.

"Okay," I breathed. "It's just cake. You can make cake, Ari. You've used the oven numerous times while at the Dursley's. You. Can. Make. This. Cake." I sighed and turned a knob on the oven, which was hopefully the right one, and smiled when I saw the oven turn on and begin to heat up. That wasn't difficult; now to just make the cake. Right?

Turning around, I picked up the cake box and look at the step. My eyes skimmed through the instructions before I placed the box back down on the counter. I got out a bowl and poured the mix in, then the oil and water, and finally, I cracked open the eggs and added them as well. After that, I picked up a large spoon and I mixed the ingredients together, then poured it into the cake pan.

Finally, I put the cake in the oven and set my timer. I was pretty excited. This was the first time I'd made anything since I lived with the Dursley's. Even then, the older I had gotten, the less cooking they let me do. I guess Aunt Petunia wanted to make sure that Harry and I hadn't poisoned the food or something. Apparently, we played tricks like that and put charms on the food. At this point, I don't even think they have brains anymore. Why would I have charmed their food if I had to eat it as well?

Bloody stupid, if you asked me.

Taking a seat on my couch, I looked around the room for something to do. I didn't want to get out my books from the wizarding world; they were all in my room and that was way too far away. Well, not that far, but I didn't want to go get any of them. And besides, what would happen if someone showed up and-

Oh, right. No one would show up. The only muggle friend I had was Steve, and If I remembered right, he was at work right now. I guess there wasn't anything keeping me from reading now, was there?

I stood up and slowly walked into my room, grabbed the newer copy of _Hogwarts, A History,_ and then walked back into the main room. I took a seat on the couch, covered up with my blanket, and opened the book. It was finally updated last year, and I decided to buy a copy before I came to America. I skipped the earlier things, and went straight to the back to see what was added.

_"On the 2__nd__ of May, 1998, near the end of the Second Wizarding War, Harry and Arielle Potter (with the assistance of Mr. Ronald Weasley and Ms. Hermione Granger) found their way into Hogwarts in search of the remaining Horcruxes. Lord Voldemort, upon learning of the whereabouts of the Potter children, immediately sent for each and every creature that had pledged allegiance to him." _

Sad thing was, we hadn't expected Voldemort to have as many followers as he did. I mean, we did, of course, know that he had a bunch of them… just… underestimated the amount, that's all.

_"'I know that you are preparing to fight. Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you, I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood. Give me the Potter children, and none shall be harmed. Give me Arielle Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight.' The Dark Lord had announced. _

_ The students and staff of the school refused to hand over the Potters, and were willing to fight You-Know-Who and his followers._

_A battle took place that night. The castle was destroyed in the process, and much of it had been turned to rubble. Several bodies (students, professors, aurors, Death Eaters, and magical creatures alike) littered the ground on both the inside and outside of the castle. At the end of it all, Lord Voldemort was defeated. The Death Eaters retreated (and those that did not were quickly arrested), followed closely by the magical creatures that had sided with You-Know-Who."_

Taking a shaky breath, I quickly closed the book and placed it down on the coffee table. While I hadn't been surprised that they included the Battle of Hogwarts, but they had mentioned the cause for it (obviously). Harry and I. I shook my head. No, it wasn't my fault. Just like it wasn't Harry's. Things just… happened. They weren't under our control.

But we're responsible for the deaths-

Shut up, Arielle, Shut up.

_Pop!_

_ Pop!_

_Pop!_

_ Pop!_

I jumped, let out a squeak of surprise, and then instinctively pulled out my wand before aiming it at the source of the sudden noise. Half of me expected it to be some sort of Death Eater or something, but the other half knew better. Once I saw the four _ver_y familiar faces standing in front of the door, I relaxed and put my wand back inside my pocket.

"Harry?" I asked. "Ron? Hermione? George? What are you doing here?"

**AN: Hey guys, I'm so so ****_so_**** sorry about the long wait for this! I've had to revise it (because when I first started writing this a year ago, I never paid attention to anything and it's constantly switching between present and past tense, which is really annoying to me and probably you all too. So, from now on, I'll be revising chapters and stuff before posting them. Also there's a lot of stuff I'm going to be changing with the plot, so if you decided to read any of it on my quotev (it's posted under 'Vanna'), keep in mind that it's gonna change. Thank you all for your support. Please leave a review on anything you want to see in this story and of course, let me know what you think so far. Favorites and follows are appreciated as well! I'll try and update again today to make up for the past year.**

**Thank you! **

**\- Vanna**


	4. Chapter 3

3rd Person P.O.V.

"We need you to come in."

The man mentally groaned as soon as he heard that one sentence. Why was it that _every_ time he got a call from his coworkers, it was always those same six words? Never a 'Hello, how are you doing?' or something relatively normal like that?

"Why? Now?" He inquired. "I just got off. I'm halfway ho-"

"Home may be somewhere you don't want to go right now." The voice from the phone assured. "Get back to base, and I'll explain everything."

The blond sighed. "I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Five, Captain. You have five minutes."

And so the man hung up the phone, placed it back inside his pocket, and turned his motorcycle around to return back to base.

Arielle's P.O.V.

"What?" George pouted playfully. "No hugs? Even after I haven't seen you in a week or more? I'm hurt, dear Ari."

"I-I mean, I'm happy to see you all but… why are you here so early? I thought you all weren't coming until next week?"

Hermione turned around and glared at Harry. "You told her we were coming?" She gasped. "This was supposed to be a surprise!" Hermione smacked Harry over the head but then sighed and turned her attention back to me. "Well, I would say surprise, but it's not exactly one now, is it?"

"I didn't know it was a surprise, Hermione!" Harry exclaimed, now rubbing the back of his head. I giggled. It was good to know that nothing had changed in the past week.

"Come here, you guys." I grinned, opening my arms for a hug. I went to George first, but before I made it to him I was engulfed in a group hug. Merlin, I missed them. I may be starting to regret this whole moving across the world thing.

"Blimey, mate. Your flat is nice." Ron spoke up after a while, releasing me from the hug. After he let go to look around the apartment, everyone else followed suit.

I smiled. "Yeah, it is. Pretty home-like, don't you think? I haven't been able to hang up any pictures yet, but when I do, they'll have to be muggle pictures. Unfortunately. You know, the ones that I don't move around. Wouldn't want a muggle to notice it, would I?"

All four of them nodded. Harry opened his mouth to say something, but he was quickly cut off by the timer in my kitchen. "Oh, my cake!" I called out, running toward the kitchen. I hurried and put on an oven mitt and opened the oven door, and pulled out the chocolate cake.

"You're actually baking?" Harry asked, astonished.

"Oh, no! Run before she burns the building down!" George joked, wrapping his arm around my shoulders as I sat the cake down to cool.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, ha ha. Very funny of you, George."

"But really though, Ari! I didn't know you could bake." Hermione smiled. "Didn't know you knew how to use an oven either."

"Mione," I sighed. "I was _raised_ by _muggles_."

3rd Person P.O.V.

"So you're trying to tell me that there are bursts of random energy coming from my apartment building?" The Captain leaned on eye-patched man's desk, his bright blue eyes glaring at the file in front of him. "And just _what_ do you want to do about it?"

"We wait." Came the Director's reply. "Wait to see if it happens again, and then try to pinpoint the exact location. It could've been nothing. However, I feel like that's pretty unlikely."

"Why?"

The Director sat back in his chair as he crossed his arms. "There have been many of these small, uh, energy surges all over New York. And to be completely honest, we've picked them up all over the country for the past three years. There weren't many at all before then. Just a couple once in a while. We thought hey, maybe it's not important. Then Thor came along a couple years ago, and we thought hey, we should check these out. By the time Thor came, they were everywhere. All across the country, every state, every city. But never quite there. It's a little too close to home for my liking."

Captain Rogers nodded slowly, and looked around the office to keep from rolling his eyes. "And what am _I_ supposed to do?"

Director Fury paused for a moment in thought, and then sat up in his chair. He picked up the file and closed it, holding it out toward the blond. "You be careful, that's what you're supposed to do. You keep an eye out for suspicious behavior, and you automatically report it to us. Small or not. Something is coming, cap, and no one can be sure what it is."

Arielle's P.O.V.

"So, I feel like there's something you all aren't telling me. What's going on?" I asked after we sat in silence for a few minutes. George sighed and looked over at the other three.

"Well… do you all want to tell her, or should I?"

I stood up from my place on the couch and studied each and every one of their faces, finally stopping my gaze on Harry. "Tell me what?" I asked, crossing my eyes. "Has something happened?"

The four glanced around at each other worriedly and shook their heads. Hermione, after a few moments, looked up at me and shook her head disapprovingly. "Honestly, Ron. Making me do all the announcing. Shame on you! I suppose I'll have to tell her." She then turned to me with a smile. "Ron and I are engaged!"

I immediately grinned, not paying any mind to the confused etched on Harry, Ron, and George's faces. "_Finally_!" I exclaimed. "It's about time! Seriously, you all had me worried there for a few minutes. I thought something was wrong." I laughed and sat back down, relief flooding through me.

"Yeah," Harry chuckled nervously after being elbowed by Hermione (which, for the record, I didn't notice). I raised an eyebrow. Really, that's all he had to say? 'Yeah'?

Hermione smiled. "Yeah, he finally got the guts to ask me. Molly was ecstatic. Should've seen the look on her face! I couldn't tell who was more excited; me, or her."

"We have to go, though. See you in a few weeks?" Hermione offered, and I nodded. Well, until George butted in.

"You mean we're not telling her about the rumors?"

I was taken back. Rumors. "What are you talking about, rumors?"

Hermione sighed and mentally face-palmed. "We weren't going to tell her, George. Hint hint. Thanks, though. Now we kind of have to."

"Uh, excuse me? Tell me what?" I looked over at Harry, who looked down sadly.

"Owls have been intercepted… on their way to America. We… we're not sure how reliable they are but… we think that the death eaters are going to make a comeback… in America."

And just like that, my world temporarily stopped. My smile disappeared from my expression, and my body tensed up. I felt, well, frozen. I gulped, and tried to speak without showing my fear. It didn't work out well. "Th-They're… back?"

Ron nodded. "We originally came so early to check on you and make sure you were alright… we weren't going to tell you until we knew for sure…"

Rumors. They said rumors. That's okay, then. This could all just be some fluke, just a cruel joke or something. As soon as the Battle of Hogwarts ended, the Ministry tracked down and arrested as many Death Eaters as they could. But then again, many made it away and went into hiding… oh merlin. Were they going to try and continue the war now? Three years later? No, no of course not. I'm too paranoid. I need to calm down.

Swallowing the lump that was slowly forming in my throat, I sighed. "You… I need to be by myself for a while. Could you – could you just… leave please…"

George took a couple strides toward me and placed his hand on my back protectively. "Are you okay?" He asked, concerned. I nodded sheepishly, replying that I was fine. Of course, like usual, he saw right through me. "I'm staying here, at least for tonight. Then I'll leave and you can have your free time tomorrow. Deal?"

I sighed. "Fine… but could the rest of you please…"

The other three nodded sorrowfully. Harry stepped forward and pulled me into a brotherly embrace. "It's going to be okay, Ari. For all we know, it's probably just a stupid rumor that the ministry has uncovered or something. But it's getting late, you should rest."

With that, Harry kissed my forehead and nodded to Ron and Hermione before apparating out of my apartment. I turned to George and opened the closet door before pulling out an extra pillow and blanket. "Alright, well… you can have the bedroom, I guess, and I'll take the sofa-"

"Nope." George shook his head stubbornly. "Nah, I'll take the couch. It's your apartment, after all."

"No-"

Puppy dog eyes.

Why was it always the puppy dog eyes with him? If it were anyone else, they wouldn't work. Was… was it because I kept seeing him as Fred? No, I don't think so. Maybe. "Fine," I crossed my arms and pouted, glaring playfully at the ground.

"Hey, little Potter?" George asked after a moment.

"Yeah, what is-"

Before I had the time to finish my sentence, George tackled me to the ground, his hands 'attacking' my sides. After screaming in surprise, I busted out in automatic laughter and began kicking to push the redhead off. "G-George!"

"Yes?" He paused sitting up.

"I-I give in!" I giggled, "Uncle!"

George pretended to stroke the goatee that he didn't have in thought. "That quickly?"

I glared and struggled to push him off. "George!" I yelled.

The Weasley frowned and stood up, holding out his hand. "Sorry, Ari. Thought I could try to help you get your mind off things. I know that you're still having nightmares." Once I took his hand, he pulled me up easily. I walked away and took a seat on the couch.

"How?" I scoffed. "How could you possibly know about them? I haven't told anyone!" I brought my knees up to my chest and, with a frown, decided to leave Steve out of it. Besides, we haven't talked much since the day I got lost in the city. And he only knew _of_ them. Not what they were about.

"I've known you since you were an ickle first year – even if we did hate each other back then. I could see it in your eyes; you haven't been sleeping well, have you?"


	5. Chapter 4

3rd Person P.O.V.

Having just gotten home from an extremely stressful day at SHIELD, Steve Rogers normally liked to sit down, turn the tv on, and possibly read a book. Keyword: normally. Now, though, he wasn't sure if he wanted to do any of those things. He'd been so tempted to stay for a day or two is Stark, but he refused to let these 'random energy surges' keep him from his home. And so once he had gotten to his apartment, he pulled out some leftovers from the fridge, heated them up, and sat down at the table to think things over.

Steve didn't get to relax for very long, however, before he heard a scream followed by the name "George" or something along those lines. Instinctively, the super-soldier grabbed his shield off the couch and ran out the door only to stop in front of the door belonging to his new neighbor. _What was her name? Ariel? Ariana? Arielle? Yeah, that was it. Arielle._

Careful to not make any noise, the man put his ear to the door in an attempt to hear what was going on (which, of course, he did).

"Sorry, Ari. Thought I could try to get your mind off things. I know that you're still having nightmares." An unfamiliar male voice said sadly. A brit? Friend of Arielle's, maybe?

"How? How could you possibly know about my nightmares? I haven't told anyone!"

_Technically,_ Steve thought, _I know too. Maybe not what they're about but… I still know._

"I've known you since you were an ickle first year – even if we did hate each other back then. I can see it in your eyes; you haven't been sleeping well, have you?"

"And if I haven't? I've already tried getting Hermione to wipe my memories of those things but she _refuses_! I know that Harry and Ron won't either. Neither will you?" She paused, and Steve could only assume that the male had shaken his head. "_I can't forget it_. Every damned night I watch Cedric die. Every night, I watch the people I care the _most_ about fighting for their lives! I see Harry, limp and dead to the world in Hagrid's arms. Do you know what that's like? And to top it all off, I was just told that the Death Eaters may be planning a comeback and that everything Harry and I worked our asses off for to protect everyone may just end up amounting to _nothing._ So no, George. I haven't gotten much sleep. Would you want to go to sleep every goddamn night and see that? Live that? I just…" Arielle trailed off at the end.

Cedric? Who was that? And Hagrid? Steve was sure that he could remember Arielle mention a 'Harry' before. Wasn't that her brother? And the nightmares… they were because she had seen much more than she should have. Of course, Steve could relate. However, he was a soldier. That tended to happen. He saw people die; friends, comrades, enemies. PTSD. But he couldn't help but wonder what event caused it in her. The blond could easily tell that she wasn't a soldier. What were death eaters? Whatever happened, they had something to do with it.

Silence. No one said anything for a few moments. It was as if both parties were stunned.

"You know I do." Came the male – George's – response.

Arielle was taken back. "Excuse me?" She asked.

"You asked me if I knew what it was like to see my brother dead. You _know_ I know what it's like. I wish I didn't, but I do. I left Fred for a few minutes during the battle… during the break I came back to see him lying there. I _KNOW._" George choked out. To Steve, it sounded as if he was struggling to breathe.

"Did… I really say that?" She breathed. "I… oh my god, I'm so sorry George… I just… I went on a tangent…"

Silence. Again. "It's fine." He said finally. "I think that you need to talk to someone about these things, Ari. You've got to let go. None of that was your fault. Cedric didn't die because-"

"Don't you dare tell me that Cedric's death wasn't my fault!" Arielle exploded. "Who do you think suggested that we all three go and take the cup? We would all three just have won the tournament for Hogwarts?"

Even though Steve was not in the room, he could hear it in Arielle's voice that she was getting ready to cry. That was, if she hadn't already begun to do so.

George snapped. "Would you let me finish a sentence, Potter?" He yelled loudly, and Steve thought he could hear a soft whimper from within the room. He bit his lip to keep himself from barging in the door. "S-Sorry… I didn't mean to yell."

"I-It's okay." She said, but her voice was soft this time. Calmer, in a way.

"Listen, it was Voldemort that killed Cedric. Why can't you understand that?" George asked, frustration making itself evident in his voice. "You didn't know that the cup was a portkey. No one did. And the war? It's over with now. Voldemort is dead. You watched Harry kill him. He can't hurt you anymore… I won't let him."

"I don't know…" Arielle began, speaking so softly that it was almost difficult for Steve to hear through the door, "These nightmares… they're so real. It's – it's almost like I'm there again. I'm not my brother, George. I-I'm not Harry. I can't do this anymore."

Captain Rogers felt his heart shatter at the girl's words for a reason unknown to him. They hurt him. He wanted nothing more than to hold Arielle, maybe rock her back and forth in his arms. He felt protective. He didn't want anything to hurt her. Not anymore.

_What am I doing?_ He wondered, stepping back from the door slightly. _I barely know this girl… she could be dangerous._

_But she might not._

Before he could process what he was doing, Steve had placed his shield along the wall and out of view. He slowly brought up his hand, put it into a fist, and quickly knocked at the door.

Arielle's POV

I slowly changed my gaze from the floor and looked up toward George, before directing my attention on the door to my apartment. I took a deep, shaky breath and stood up, wiped my eyes, and got my wand out of my pocket. I gulped nervously and hid it behind my back. Hesitantly, with my free hand, I opened the door.

"S-Steve?" I took a small step backward and put my wand in my pocket. "What are you doing here?"

Behind me, I noticed George curiously poking his head around the corner, trying to see the man at the door from where he was sitting on the couch. "Who's Steve?" He asked with a familiar mischievous grin. "Your boyfriend?"

"G-George Weasley! He's not my boyfriend!"

Steve, hearing the redheads comment, felt his cheeks immediately growing red. If I had seen it, I might have teased him lightly about it. But sadly, I was too busy trying to hide my own tomato red cheeks.

"We're just friends!" Steve added quickly.

George raised an eyebrow as if he didn't believe us. "Are you sure?" he asked. "Man, Ickle-Arikins already has a boyfriend Wait 'till Harry hears about thi-"

"George! We're not – Where would you even get that idea?"

"I have my reasons." The Weasley crossed his arms stubbornly and stood up before taking a few steps toward us. He gently pushed me out of the way and held his hand out to Steve. "I'm George, Ari's honorary brother when her actual brother isn't around. You are?"

"Steve." The blond nodded, taking the ginger's hand. "Rogers. I live down the hall, so I guess technically I'm her neighbor."

George nodded and flashed Steve and I a grin. "A pleasure." He concluded. Then, he turned around and walked toward the kitchen. I rubbed the back of my neck nervously, apologizing for George almost immediately.

"He's a bit protective." I admitted. "Sorry if he bothered you… he does that a lot. And he really enjoys embarrassing me."

Steve shook his head and laughed. "I know what it's like. You know. When you have someone ou care about." Don't most people know what it's like? I mean, I know that I'm that way with Teddy. Sometimes even Harry, even though he's an adult and can take care of himself. Sisterly instincts, I guess.

"Yeah." I paused, looking in the general direction of the kitchen before snapping out of my trance. "Anyway, what're you doing here?"

"Heard screaming." Steve admitted. "You know, it's beginning to become a regular occurrence." The blond smirked playfully and crossed his arms, choosing to lean against the doorframe. "So I decided to check to make sure everything was fine."

From behind me, I could hear George McAsshat begin to chuckle. What the – when did he get there? After a sharp look from me, he turned away and walked toward the couch. I mentally nodded toward him in a 'that's right' type of way. George loved messing with me, but he knew when he became too much for the time being.

"I'm sorry." I quickly apologized – again. "But in my defense, the first time was a nightmare!" I laughed, "And this time it was him!" I added, pointing directly at George. He immediately put his hands in the air in defense.

"Hey, woman," he said, "Don't go bringing me into this. All I did was start a little tickle fight, I mean-"

Steve nodded, a grin on his face. "I'm sure she means the best by it… maybe."

I smiled triumphantly and tuck my tongue out at George playfully. From the corner of my eye, I saw Steve look around uncomfortably, almost like he was scanning my apartment for something. Maybe he's just… uncomfortable in different surroundings? Who knew. I shrugged it off and decided to focus more on his attitude. From what I could tell, he was acting normal. At least, from what I could tell that is.

After a moment or two of awkward silence, Steve coughed awkwardly. "Well," he said, "I should probably get home. It's pretty late, and I've got work tomorrow."

I nodded. "Me too…" I drifted off, leaving it at that. "Thank you for checking up on me." I smiled to show my appreciation. "It really does mean a lot."

Steve nodded. "No problem, ma'am. It's fine."

Without saying anything else, Steve pivoted and walked away. Once he was gone and I had heard his apartment door close, I turned around to face George. I thought back to the conversation we had previously been having, and nearly froze on sight. The wizardling world – Hogwarts – Voldemort. What if… oh merlin. Had Steve overheard that? God, I hope not.


	6. Chapter 5

The next morning, I stood in the kitchen making breakfast. George had left earlier to collect some of his things from the burrow. (After Fred passed away, George moved back into the Burrow. He didn't give up the joke shop, however; Ginny (and sometimes Percy) started pitching in and helping him out with it). George apparently decided that he didn't like me staying here by myself with the death eaters on the loose, so he was moving in and staying with me until further notice. Not that I mind, really. It was comforting to know that he'd be here, I just wish that he'd stop worrying about me. I was twenty years old – I could take care of myself. Oh well, couldn't say I blamed him. He left Fred for a few minutes and…

No, Arielle. Stop thinking about it. The war was over; you needed to get over it. 

I carefully slid my pancakes into a plate from the pan and sighed, placing the pan in the sink. Just then, there was a knock at the door. _Huh,_ I thought to myself, _That's weird. Why would George knock? He's got a key… and he can apparate. _Unless it wasn't George, that was.

Steve? It was possible, but he normally wasn't home during the day. He had work.

Hesitantly, I pulled my wand from my boot and approached the door. The knocking continued.

"Who's there?" I called out shakily. There was no answer. "George?" I tried again. Maybe I just couldn't hear him or something. "You've got a bloody key, come on in." Again, there was no reply. Alright, that meant that it was time for plan B. "Steve? Please tell me that's you?"

There was another knock, some shuffling. Someone then tried jiggling the doorknob. I swallowed the lump of fear forming in my throat.

"Hello? Miss Potter, it's me." I heard a familiar voice, and merlin was I happy about it. "I had a day off; thought I might ask if you'd like to hang out or something – maybe watch a movie?"

I visibly relaxed, dropping my wand to my side as I took a deep breath. "One minute." I called, quickly placing my wand in my boot. Then, I walked over and opened the door to reveal the one and only Steve Rogers. "Good morning, Steve."

"Morning neighbor." He greeted in return, a gentle smile on his lips. "So, how about that movie?"

And that was it. That's how our friendship began, and I was incredibly happy it did. Three months later, and I realized that I would've trusted him with my life. We never really went out to the movies or went to central park. Honestly, the most we had ever done was go to the small park across the street from the apartments. But I wouldn't have changed that for the world. He made me forget about the problems from the magical community. I basically forgot about the death eaters, the warnings. May not have been the best thing to happen, forgetting the death eaters, but in a way it was.

About a month and a half later, Steve and I sat comfortably on the couch in his apartment flipping through the channels. I had gone and ordered us pizza, which sat on the small coffee table in front of us. It was quiet, but it was a good, comfortable silence. We knew that we didn't really need to speak much, so we didn't. I sat on one side of the couch with the TV remote, while he sat on the other side.

Click. Boring channel.

Click. Boring channel.

Click. News channel – boring.

Wait, hang on. What the bloody hell…

Oh my god.

My eyes were instantly glued to the TV, staring at the unfortunately familiar green skull above an ordinary looking white house. I automatically knew what it meant. The Death Eaters. I froze, slowly setting the remote down on the couch and grabbing onto part of my blanket to distract myself.

"A quiet neighborhood in Brooklyn got quite a shock today when the Chang family – Cho, Lin, Ye, and Suki (AN: I'm making up names other than Cho, sorry) – were found dead in their home. Above the house, a large green skull-like figure loomed over where the family was found. Some say it's a hoax, but others are saying that it's something more sinister – sorcery. A vigil is being planned for tomorrow, which will be taking place outside the house where the Chang family was killed."

My breath hitched as they showed pictures of each family member separately. Cho Chang. I didn't like her very much at Hogwarts; honestly, I found her to be too clingy and awful. But… Merlin, I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I just… did Harry know yet? Ron? Hermione? And then another thought struck me.

Oh my god, who would be next?

They're back.

The death eaters were back, oh my merlin. They couldn't be - not again. They weren't back, they weren't back, they weren't back, they weren't back. The death eaters were all – or mostly – in Azkaban, they _couldn't_ be back. But there I was, hearing about an attack on the news.

"Arielle? Are you okay?"

I ignored him, images of the war flashing back in my memories once more. I couldn't go through another war. I absolutely refused to. I couldn't – this was madness! No more, no more, no more, no more.

"Arielle?"

I didn't pay much attention to anything else after that. I felt the couch move, and then saw a figure get down on his knees in front of me. Once more, I ignored it.

"This isn't real, Merlin this isn't real." I whispered, gripping the blanket even tighter. "They're not back, they're not back, they're not-"

"Arielle!" Steve cried out in frustration and worry, placing his hands on my arms and shaking them gently. "Snap out of it. What's wrong? Did you know them?"

"They killed them, they killed Cho, oh my god."

My mind was, in a way, blank. But at the same time, I had so much running through there that I couldn't think about anything else. The death eaters, they were back.

Steve's eyes softened after a minute or so, and he brought his hand up and wiped something off my cheek. What was it? What was he doing? "Why are you crying?" He finally asked, his voice much quieter that time.

Finally, I snapped out of it enough to dab my cheeks. They were… wet? I was crying? I tried to answer him, but I couldn't get anything out. I choked back a sob and furiously wiped my eyes. Steve shook his head, sighed, and opened his arms. I don't remember anything else except being enveloped in a hug; sobbing into my best friend's chest.

After about twenty or so minutes, I finally calmed down enough to talk. "I-I'm so sorry…" I breathed, pulling away in embarrassment. "I-I thought I was done w-with that… I…"

"You're okay," he replied, "but do you mind explaining what that was back there?"

I paused. I couldn't tell him about the death eaters – or the war. But he was my closest friend, other than Hermione and George. And… even if I could, what would I tell him? 'Oh, yeah, sorry about that but I've been lying to you for the past two months about who I am and also I'm a witch with magical powers and those are bad people and yes I did know the girl that got killed, thanks for asking.'? No, I couldn't. But…

"It's a long story," I decided, taking a deep breath. "I uh… I'm not comfortable telling you right now, I mean… I'm not sure what I _can _tell you."

Slowly, almost reluctantly, Steve nodded. "I understand." He placed his hand on my back and rubbed gentle circles. "I'll be patient, say what you can, or what you want to."

I took a shaky breath and nodded. "Uh… back where I'm from there was a sort of… fight, going on between my family and friends, and these other people. The other people you could possibly compare to a gang or something, but long story short – they were bad people. When I was younger, they had killed my parents. Harry – my brother – and I were raised by our aunt and uncle. Let's just say that they weren't very kind people." I shook my head and sighed. "One day, we were accepted into a boarding school in Scotland. Apparently our parents had gone to school there, too. Which… well I guess that was pretty cool." Exaggerations.

"The people that killed our parents… they ruined my life. I mean, things became almost like a war, basically. And for some reason, everyone had decided that it was my brother and I that would end it. So we learned how to defend ourselves and others. And-" Almost a war? Lie.

I paused long enough to look up and see Steve's facial expression. He looked upset… confused, slightly shocked. I shook my head. I can't do this anymore. I'm tired of lying to him. He doesn't deserve it.

"You know what? I-I'm not doing this anymore, Steve. You don't deserve these exaggerations, you don't deserve me twisting the truth to sound like a normal muggle. I'm not. Hell, I'm not even a normal bloody witch. I never have been!"

Steve's expression twisted into one of complete shock and confusion. But there was something else there – distrust. Disbelief. I hid my face in my hands, muttering an apology. "You won't believe me if I tell you what happened, Steve. But you deserve to know my past. I've known you for three or four months and… it's such a short time. But I trust you, and I'm sorry I've lied, that I've hidden myself from you. I… I'll show you. I… hang on a moment."

I reached into my boot and pulled out my wand. Steve glanced over at me, slowly standing up in alarm. I shook my head, muttering a soft "Accio pensieve". Then, I stood up and walked to open the door. Steve's eyes narrowed before he asked me what I was doing. "Do you want your door broken?"

A couple moments later, the small bowl flew inside the door, quickly landing directly in my arms. I closed the door and walked back to the couch, before setting the pensieve on the table and taking a seat in front of it. I took a deep breath and placed the memories I wanted inside the pensieve, watching as the silvery wisps circled around inside. Afterward, I placed my wand carefully on the table.

"What is that?" Steve demanded, standing right in front of me. "What are you?"

"I'm a witch."


	7. Chapter 6

You know, if this wasn't a serious situation and I hadn't just had a panic attack (or something similar), Steve's face would have been priceless. Honestly I'd probably be rolling on the couch right now. But now wasn't the time – in fact, now I had other things to worry about on top of the death eaters. For instance, when was the Ministry going to contact me? Or would they even know that I just told a muggle of our existence?

Oh well. One thing at a time I suppose.

"I'm… sorry?" Steve crossed his arms, pursing his lips as he often times did when he was angry. Or confused. Or anything but happy, really. The guy needed to get some new facial expressions, because he really used that one a lot. "Did I just hear you say that you're a witch?"

Slowly, I nodded. "I'm a witch, Steve. Magic, broomsticks, potions and cauldrons. Witch. And I know you're confused, and I know you're cross, and I know you probably don't trust me anymore but you have to list-"

"Don't trust you anymore?" He scoffed. "Why should I? What else don't I know about you? Are you a murderer? A thief? Are you plotting to kill me? Because honestly it wouldn't surprise me much anymore. I trusted you, Arielle. I really did. But now I'm not sure-"

"The bowl, Steve." I interrupted. "You'll understand, and I'll be able to fill in the blanks. This is called a pensieve. You can take your memories and put them in it to view objectively. These aren't just images, or videos. These are my memories, and they haven't been altered. Before you decide not to trust me anymore, just… watch them."

Steve raised his eyebrow in disbelief. "Really? How do I know that it won't kill me? Won't harm me?"

"Because I'll do the same thing… I'll join you. Just one last time, Stevie. Trust me one more time, and then you can choose what to believe."

He rubbed his temple with his thumbs, letting out a soft and annoyed groan as he did so. It was silent. Neither of the two spoke for a minute or so, until finally Steve glanced up. "You go first." He all but ordered, gaining a soldier-like aura about him.

I nodded and braced myself for my past. That was a bit of a weird sentence, but oh well. "Prepare for a rough landing." I said before slowly dipping my finger in the bowl. Suddenly, the world became a swirl of colors as I was dragged inside my memories. The first one, actually, didn't exactly belong to me. In fact, it was actually my godfather's – well, mixed with many people's. Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Snape, Sirius, and Hagrid found a way to take their own memories (and one from my mother… apparently the killing curse took an unusual amount of time to kill her… she was able to save a memory of what happened back for the ministry or whatever to view) and in a way morph them together so that Harry and I could get an idea of what happened on the night our parents died. Honestly… I haven't been able to bring myself to watch it yet. This should be uh… interesting.

Moments after I landed in the memory with a soft 'thump', Steve landed on the ground beside me. He shook his head and quickly stood up, instinctively scanning his surroundings.

"This… was the night my parents were killed. I didn't lie to you when I was talking about the war or even that my brother and I had been told we would win it. Back in the seventies, there was a dark wizard named Voldemort, and boy did he have a severe superiority complex. Anyway, he thought that purebloods were better than any half-bloods, and especially muggleborns. Bloody snake-eyes found out about a prophecy and came to kill us… that's where this starts."

I pointed in front of me (behind Steve), and he turned around as the memory began playing.

_ It started out in the main living area in Godric's Hallow. James and Lily – my parents – sat inside. James had Harry sitting on the couch, and was using his wand to create sparks that Harry absolutely found hilarious. I, on the other hand, was in Lily's arms squirming and trying to reach her beautiful red hair. Everything was fine, calm, normal. But then the curtains in front of the window began flying everywhere as the wind flew inside the house. James hesitantly walked away from Harry and made his way to the window._

_ "Lily! Take the children and run! It's him!" James yelled, picking Harry up and practically throwing him at our mother. _

_ "But James – what about you? I can't… he'll kill you!"_

_ James quickly shook his head. "No, Lily. Take the children upstairs, I'll hold him off! You have to go, Lil's. I love you." _

_ "I-I love you too." Tearfully and reluctantly, Lily began to run toward the stairs. She turned back for a moment, just in time to see their front door fly open, slamming into the wall. James waved her off, picking up his wand, and prepared for a fight. Lily quickly ran into the nursery, slamming and locking the door behind her. As she was placing the children in the crib, she failed to notice the sickeningly green light flash from the other side._

_ James Potter was dead._

Daddy.

I closed my eyes for a moment, not knowing how to feel about the situation. I had just seen my father die (in a way), and now I will see my mother have the same fate. This wasn't fair… why did this have to happen to them? From what I've been told, they were such good people.

_ Just as Lily had finished telling young Harry and I that we were loved, the door to the nursery flew open, slamming into the wall as it had downstairs. I must've flinched or something, because the next thing I knew, Steve had placed his hand on my shoulder. I put my hand on top of his in return._

_ "Please! Not my children – not my babies! Take me, kill me instead! Don't hurt my children!" Lily cried out, with tears threatening to fall from her emerald eyes. "Please!"_

_ "Back away, Miss. Potter. All I want are the children – specifically the boy. Step aside, and I may let you live." The man – Voldemort – hissed. The threat went over Lily's head; she wasn't about to back down, even if it killed her. _

_ "I won't let you hurt them. I'd rather die." _

_ Voldemort chuckled, bring out his wand and aiming it the redhead. "As you wish." He smirked. "Avada Kedavra!"_

_ Green light enveloped the room, and moments later, Lily Potter fell to the floor appearing to be dead. The man laughed vilely, and turned to the children with a devilish smile. "Now for you," he turned toward Harry and I, and brought up his wand. "After this, nothing will be able to stop me." He said the spell again. _

Behind me, I could feel Steve tense up, and his grip on my shoulder tightened slightly.

_Green light enveloped the room once more, but this time, the victims did not die. Instead, the spell rebounded from the children and hit their attacker. A small explosion happened, and the dark lord vanished through the new hole in the nursery. _

The scene changed.

Steve and I now stood inside the home of the people that raised Harry and I for the first 17 years of our lives. Number 4 Privit Drive. The Dursley's home. I sighed and took a deep breath. "As I said before… they weren't kind people, Steve. They despised anything and everything even related to magic… including my brother and I. Petunia was my mother's sister. I don't know the full story, but I think it has something to do with the fact that she was jealous of my mum's magic. I don't know. But these years weren't pleasant."

"They were abusive?" Steve breathed, looking down at me with pity. I nodded. "God… I'm sorry, Arielle."

I chuckled. "What do you have to feel sorry about? You didn't cause their abuse. Besides… I'm away from them now, so it doesn't matter."

Steve sighed, and then the memory began.

_We stood in the doorway of the house, watching as Aunt Petunia walked to a familiar cupboard and rapped on the door. _

_"Up! Boy, girl, up!" She cried, disappearing back into the kitchen for a short while before returning. Seeing that the children hadn't come out yet, she pounded on the cupboard again. "You little freaks! Get up now! It's my Dudikin's birthday, and I'm not going to let you little orphans ruin it for him!"_

_Then, a boy around the age of nine ran down the stairs, being sure to stomp on the way down. "Wake up Potters! It's my birthday!" He laughed, running back to the top and then back down. He stopped in the middle of the stairs and jumped up and down a few times. _

_ Soon the cupboard door opened up, revealing two small, underweight forms. My brother and I. Our clothes were much too big for us, our hair was either greasy or just altogether dirty, dust from the ceiling of the cupboard was on our clothing. We looked pitiful, to be perfectly honest._

_ Aunt Petunia shuffled out of the kitchen, grabbed Harry and I by our shoulder, and dragged us inside while screeching orders at us. She had me making breakfast (eggs, bacon, and toast), while Harry was forced to clean the floors and dust around. At one point, Dudley "mistakenly" shoved into me, making me drop a raw egg on the floor. Uncle Vernon turned around with a fire in his eyes. Not the good kind, either. _

_ "You insolent girl! It's such a simple task and you still manage to muck it up!" He yelled, throwing his newspaper down on the table. "Come here!"_

_ Harry glanced up from his broom in fear. "It wasn't her! I swear!" He quickly walked in front of me, standing there protectively. "It was Dudley! He made her drop it! She didn't-" _

_ "Harry, are you trying to get us both in trouble? Don't make him angry!" Little me whispered frantically to Harry, holding onto his arm tightly. _

_ Uncle Vernon grunted and stood up, his eyes narrowing at the thought. "Really, boy? My son made this mess?" He turned to Dudley, who was searching through the fridge and acting like he didn't know what was going on. "Son, did you do this?"_

_ "Of course not, dad! I couldn't possibly make a mess like that… the girl just doesn't know how to crack an egg right." Dudley replied, turning back toward us and giving me a triumphant smirk. _

_ Vernon glared harshly at us before lashing forward and grabbing my arm. He yanked me away from Harry and in one swift motion, his hand collided with my cheek. I cried out in surprise and pain, squirming around to make an attempt at breaking away from him. Tears stung the corner of my eye, and I brought up my hand to cover the handprint on my cheek. "You bloody little wench! Clean that up, and get to finishing breakfast! You're lucky we even took you two in…" He spat, pushing me into the counter forcefully. _

_ As soon as Uncle Vernon walked away, Harry ran back to me and began to check me over. "Are you okay? Why doesn't he ever believe us? This isn't right, Ari. Is your cheek okay?"_

_ The scene changed again. Happy things, sad things. First it was Hagrid telling Harry and I we were wizards, and then it was our first trip to Diagon Alley, and then the Hogwarts express in our first year, meeting Hermione and Ron. Then it switched to finding out about the Philosopher's stone, and us fighting Voldemort/Quirrel, and Harry ending up in the hospital wing. Then it went through our second year, and then our third. This was the most difficult for me._

_ I missed Sirius._

_ After saving Sirius and landing in the courtyard, right before Sirius took off with Buckbeak, I smiled softly. This may not have been the best way to remember Sirius, but it was better than remembering his death. That would come later._

_ "Arielle, I want to talk to you." Sirius said before leading me away from the others for a private conversation. "You did good today; all of you. You know that? And I know that Lily – your mother – would be so proud. You look just like her, you know? Of course, you have James's eyes. But that's beside the point. Hermione told me that you always ignore everyone but your small little friend group… wanna tell me why?"_

_ I shyly shook my head, trying to ignore the soft blush of embarrassment on my cheeks. _

_ "Oh, come on. I've heard it all. What is it?"_

_ After a few minutes, I finally caved. "I'm scared they won't like me… I'm nothing special, just a normal person. So…why would they?"_

_ Sirius sighed and took a seat on a nearby bench. He grabbed my arms reassuringly. "Kiddo, I've barely even known you for a day, and I already love you. Same goes for your brother. And as for you being nothing special; I hear that you've got excellent grades, and you've made a couple amazing friends. Take it from me. Everyone is special, and everyone matters. They'll love you, but you just have to talk to them some. You know?"_

_ Sirius always was one of my favorite people._

The scene then changed again to my fourth year – my least favorite. Or well, one of them anyway. It showed the Goblet of Fire, and the Triwizard tournament rules and champions. Dumbledore's speech. Things were going just like I remembered it. Except for me now, time seemed to slow down as the two pieces of parchment flew out of the goblet.

"What…?" I heard Steve behind me and jumped. I had almost forgotten he was there. Dumbledore called out mine and Harry's names. "But you didn't…"

I nodded in agreement. "We didn't. Someone else did, and because it had already happened, they wouldn't do anything to pull us out. We did so much; fought dragons, rescued our most important people from the bottom of a lake… almost got drowned by merpeople but you get the idea. And then came the third and final task. You'll see what happened, but let me give you an idea of why I am the way I am right now, and where my nightmares really come from. Honestly, other than my brother, no one really even knows this. How close Cedric and I were."

"Cedric Diggory? The other champion?" Steve asked in slight surprise. I nodded to confirm. The scene changed again, but this time, it was a happier scene.

_ Colors swirled around us, taking away the dark cold of the courtyard, and replacing it instead with the calm, light, and warmth of the Hufflepuff common room (yes, I was Hufflepuff; not a Gryffindor like everyone expected). Inside Cedric and I sat happily on the sofa in front of the fireplace, watching the flames dance around. Content smiles made their way to our lips as we each snuggled into the couch. Both of us were completely happy with the silence; we were able to think about things troubling us, but we knew we had the comfort of each other there. It was nice; some of my favorite memories with him, actually. As strange and dumb as that sounded._

_ "What's wrong?" Cedric asked, maneuvering himself around to face me. I shrugged in response, wrapping my arms around my legs, pulling them up to my chest. He frowned. "Arielle Lilian Potter, what is wrong?"_

_ After a couple more moments of silence, I sighed and looked up at the male beside me. "It's the tournament, Ced… I haven't gone through any sort of proper training or classes for this. Neither has Harry. What if something happens to him? Or me? Or… what if something happens to you?"_

_ He scooted closer to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders comfortingly. "You know that won't happen, Ari. Besides; you're not in this alone. You've got that Granger girl to help you and your brother through, and you know that Harry and I would rather die than let something happen to you."_

_ "Ced, People have died in this tournament!"_

_ "But that doesn't mean that we will. Just calm down, everything will be okay."_

_ Reluctantly, I nodded and burrowed into his side, releasing a soft sigh. "Sorry."_

_ Cedric raised his eyebrow. "You're afraid. That's nothing to be sorry for. You can't be brave all the time, and sometimes it's better to be scared. It means that you'll take more caution in what you do. Nothing wrong with being careful, love."_

_ I smiled softly and closed my eyes. Cedric always did know what to say to me; in a way, he sort of read me like an open book. "I love you." _

_ "I love you too." _

_ The memory changed again, but this time, it showed the first task with the dragons. And then it changed to the second task, and soon, it stopped on the third task. Now, Steve and I stood at the entrance to the maze. I mentally shuddered. It was exactly as I remembered it._

_ Time seemed to fly by quickly, and now Cedric, Harry, and I stood in front of the triwizard cup. All three of us had a look of pride that made us look as if we were practically glowing. I turned to Cedric and Harry with a large grin. _

_ "We did it! I can't believe we actually did it!"_

_ "But who's going to take the cup?" Cedric asked, turning toward me. He stepped back, noticing my silence. "You take it, Ari. You deserve it." _

_ I scoffed. "What, fame and glory? I already have a piece of fame, and it's not something I'd like more of. How about…" I paused, looking from Cedric, to Harry, then the cup, and back to Cedric. "we should all take it. I mean, it's still going to be one giant win for Hogwarts. They won't have just one winner…"_

_ "They'll have three!" Harry exclaimed, now seeing where I was leading with this. We sent each other the trademark Potter grin, before slowly walking toward the cup._

_ Cedric hesitantly stayed where he had been. "I don't-"_

_ "Diggory, get your badger butt up here! We can do it; we can win this thing, just like you said we would. Come on!" I ran back toward Cedric, grabbed his hand, and pulled him toward the cup. "Okay, on the count of three." _

_ Harry nodded in understanding. "One… two… three!"_

_ We all three bounded forward and grabbed the cup with one hand. Suddenly, the world swirled around us and instead of being in (or outside) the maze, we were now in the cemetery from Harry's nightmares. Harry immediately knew what was going on. _

_ "Cedric! Cedric, run! Get out of here, just go!" He yelled, running toward me. _

_ Cedric laughed and shook his head. "No, guys. This must be part of the task. It's fine."_

My breathing hitched. I… can't say I was very excited for this part.

_"Kill the spare." A voice loomed over us. Young me turned toward Cedric in horror, knowing what was about to happen. Suddenly, the familiar green light of the killing curse flew from behind us and hit Cedric square in the stomach. My heart stopped as he fell to the ground._

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat and turned away. Cedric Diggory was dead. My first love, my best friend. He was gone. I reached forward – and before I thought it through – grabbed Steve's hand in a death grip. If he cared or even noticed, he didn't say anything. His focus was on Voldemort's resurrection. He watched in surprise and rage as Wormtail sliced the wrists of my brother and I, and then proceeded to drain the blood into a bowl.

Wormtail. If he hadn't already been killed, I'd kill him myself.

_ Soon, the battle ensued. Harry managed to keep Voldemort's attention long enough for me to slip away and run to Cedric. I kept a death grip on my wand, pulling it out of my boot. I aimed it around, firing spells left and right to help my brother, and countering spells to protect Cedric's body._

_ Voldemort shot the killing curse at Harry, who countered with the disarming spell. The spells connected in a long green and red flashing rope. I held my breath, finding myself clinging to Cedric's shirt tightly. Then, something began to make its way out of Voldemort's wand – Cedric. He turned toward us and sent a sad smile._

_ "Take my body. Take my body back to my parents, please. And Arielle, Harry, don't blame yourselves. It wasn't your fault. I- We'll," he gestured to the other ghostly figures surrounding Harry, and I quickly understood who they were. My parents. "We'll hold him off."_

_ "Harry, Ari, when we count to three, you've got to run." The male – my father – said in a rush. A stray tear fell down my cheek._

_ "Dad… mum…" I breathed. "Cedric, please don't go!"_

_ The other two turned to the young me and smiled sadly. "We won't be able to spare you much time, but we'll do what we can. James-" Mum turned to dad and nodded her head, as if to tell him to start counting._

_ "One," he said, and Harry turned to me. I returned the favor. _

_ "Two," Harry changed his gaze to the Triwizard cup._

_ "Three!"_

_ Harry began to run toward me, pointing his wand at the cup and yelling out "accio". _

_ The scene changed back to the maze once more, and this time we were outside it. Young Harry and I were both screaming and crying, each trying to cling to Cedric and the other. Someone – Remus, I now knew – came up behind me and began pulling me off of the body, while Dumbledore pulled Harry away. _

_ "Let me go! Let me go! Cedric!" I screamed, thrashing and trying to break free from Remus's grip. "Cedric please come back!"_

_ Harry did the same, although he was actually telling everyone what had happened. "He's back! Voldemort's back!" He sobbed. _

Again, the scene changed, as per usual. This time, it was just small flashes of our fifth year. Students glaring and my brother and I, newspaper articles defiling our name, Umbridge's detentions, Fred and George leaving. Then it showed the battle between the DA, Order of the Pheonix, and the Death Eaters.

_Sirius, Harry, and I stood back to back in a small circle, defending each other from the death eaters. Harry fired a spell and hit a death eater, same as I, earning us a proud smile from our godfather. "Nice one, James, Lily!" _

_ I frowned, but paid no mind to it. Maybe he had just been caught up in memories of fighting with mum and dad._

_ Time seemed to slow down. The familiar glow of the killing curse flew forward, having been aimed at Harry and I. Sirius noticed and jumped in front of it in time, before he fell backwards into the veil. _

Tears welled in my eyes again, and I gripped Steve's hand even tighter. Sirius Black, my godfather and the closest thing to a parental figure I have had, was now dead.

_Harry and I turned to each other, each with tears welling in our eyes. "Sirius!" We yelled, running toward the veil impulsively. Remus and Tonks quickly ran into action and grabbed the two of us by our waists. Tonks ended up practically dragging me to the floor, rocking me back and forth quickly to calm me down. Tears fell down my cheeks. I sobbed and sobbed, clinging to Tonks as tight as I possibly could._

The scene changed to our sixth year, showing some memories of Tom Riddle. Then it went to the end of the year, where we watched as Professor Snape killed Dumbledore on the astronomy tower. Steve was silent the whole time.

Then came our seventh year and flashes of the war. It showed Ron, Harry, Hermione, and I collecting the horcruxes, and Hermione and I getting tortured by Belatrix. Then came Dobby's death, our escape from gringotts, and finally, the battle of Hogwarts. Not all of it, of course. But important parts. The creatures fighting for Voldemort, Snape's death, some fights, and then the break.

_ During the break, when Harry had disappeared, I was inside the great hall with everyone else, doing what most people were doing; seeing who had died. The first bodies I saw belonged to Tonks and Remus. At that point, I had no idea what to do other than just cry. I knelt down by the two of them and their hands, joining them together. _

_ "I'm so sorry." I whispered, wiping a tear from my eye. "This shouldn't have happened." _

_ Then I got up glanced around the room. Then, I saw a familiar group of redheads. The only family I had left (not counting Harry, of course). I began to walk toward them, determined to make sure that they were all okay. And then I saw George hugging his mother and sobbing. I counted heads. Five. Ron wasn't here yet. Six. Merlin… no._

_ The closer I got, the more I realized who it was. Fred. My breathing hitched, my body stiffened. Fred was dead, lying on the ground with the ghost of his final smile upon his lips. He died smiling. For the second time that day, I had cried._

_ The scene switched. The break was now over, and everyone was heading back to the courtyard. I stood in front of George, now to paranoid to leave his side. At this point, I didn't think anything could get any worse. And then I saw the death eaters. I saw Hagrid, and I sure as hell saw the body in Hagrid's arms. My eyes widened, and my body froze. I tried swallowing the lump in my throat, but it wouldn't leave. My mind was racing. It wasn't Harry. It wasn't Harry. It wasn't Harry._

_ But it was._

_ "Harry Potter… is dead." Voldemort laughed vilely. And that was it. I couldn't take it anymore._

_ Ginny and I both sprang forward, screaming. George caught me in time, holding my tightly around my waist. "I just lost my twin; I won't lose my sister too." He whispered._

_ Not long later, Harry shot up out of Hagrid's arms, and the battle began again. I stood there in shock, watching as my brother dodged curses left and right. Death Eaters absconded. They knew that by now, they had lost._

_ Harry Killed Voldemort, and then it was over. _

Steve and I shot out of the pensieve.

I wiped the tears from my eyes and took in a deep breath. Steve furrowed his brows, pursed his lips, walked to his sofa and sat down, saying nothing as he stared at me for a while. This was it; he hated me. I lied to him, I got people killed. Now my closest friend (that is not magical) hated me. I shouldn't have said anything. I should've just left it at "I knew the girl that was murdered". But I didn't. Now here I am, standing in my best friends apartment. Scared. Feeling more alone that I have in a couple years.

Couldn't life just give me a break?

**I am so sorry for the late updates! I've been going to a summer program and boy do they know how to keep you busy (and I don't have much access to internet). Please bear with me! I'll at least try to update on the weekends! **

**Please favorite/follow and review! If there's any ideas you have, leave it in a review and I'll see what I can do. Thank you for your support and again, sorry for the lack of updates. - Vanna**


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